


A Trick of Fate

by Schmandolini



Series: Voltron: A Rectification [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adam is latino and speaks spanish, Adam is mostly fanon because they killed him off before giving him a character, Adam-Centric, Alternative Universe- Adam joins the Kerberos Mission, Alternative Universe- No Clones, Gay Shiro (Voltron), I dont know how to tag, Idiots in Love, Japanese Shiro (Voltron), Keith is a disaster, M/M, Pain, Shiro Is A Disaster, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), alternative universe, but that will be shown in the second chapter, i just want more adashi, im not salty, so here it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-11 14:09:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15973925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Schmandolini/pseuds/Schmandolini
Summary: And then of course they were abducted by aliens, because that was their luck, wasn't it?That wasn't even the worst of it. Shiro, that self-sacrificing idiot, had protected Matt and been taken into the arena. Matt, who didn't know how to fight, Matt, who had clutched Adam that night, crying about how sorry he was, Matt, who Adam didn't blame at all.He didn't even blame Takashi, because that's who he was. A self-sacrificing hero who would do anything to protect the innocent. And Adam was the fool who had fallen in love and followed that idiot to the edge of the solar system.*Aka Adam joins the kerberos mission, gets abducted by aliens, accidentally becomes a Rebel Captain but he really only wants to find Shiro, his fiance. And just when he thinks he can relax, he overhears a fight between two paladins.Can he ever rest?





	1. What Happened To Adam?

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this on a whim and cause i want more Adashi fics where adam joins the kerberos mission!  
> so the shiro-clone plotline is not in this cause i thought its dumb and therefore it is ignored!  
> Keith still leaves Voltron so this fic is set mid-season 4.  
> Altean time measurement are universal cause the author was too lazy to invent other time units but adam uses mostly earth time units cause ...why wouldn'T HE?  
> ENJOY!

 

A soft beeping echoed through the dark alley. Adam didn't know where it came from and it made him walk just that much faster. How did he get here? He knew exactly how. He wished he didn't.

Clutching the cloak tightly around himself, he kept his head ducked. The alleyway was mostly empty, save for a few people dressed exactly like him: hidden beneath wide, brown cloaks.  
The beeping increased. So did Adam.

It was only out of paranoia and fear that Adam was walking so quickly away from the beeps; there were a lot of people worth tracking. Why focus on him? Adam knew why.

Adam turned around the corner, another small alleyway in a labyrinth of walls. The beeping was still behind him. He walked quicker and quicker until he was almost running, until he reached the crowded mass of the market place and he couldn't help but breathe in relief.

He wasted no time, no second to lose, and slid into the crowd, the hood still covering his face.  
The beeping turned the corner as well but it was faint and Adam slid alongside the crowd until he couldn't hear it anymore.

Gripping the ticket in his hand, he rushed with the motion of the mass towards the docks; large plates of metal with shuttle planes waiting to be boarded. The beeping reappeared and Adam's heart ran cold. He wouldn't let himself get captured this close to his escape.

He dodged through the crowd, now working against the people and pushed his way through to the first dock, slamming the ticket onto the table in front of the plane.

The alien, a rough, large bear-like person, growled something but Adam could only guess and nod. The alien nodded, stamping the ticket and letting Adam into the plane.  
The beeping reappeared and Adam turned around, watching a dark figure with a metal mask stop in front of the table, a small machine in their hands. 

The plane shut its doors as soon as the bear-like alien stood up and yelled at the figure and Adam sank into his assigned seat, letting himself breathe for once, leaving Planet Zonzul behind.

Letting his thoughts wander towards the one person he wanted to find.

Takashi Shirogane.

* 

When he was younger, Adam always thought he'd live happily with a significant other in the deep mid-west of America, holding down a job as Professor. He'd make his abuelita happy and proud; she always wanted to have a professor in the family. He would make his padre happy and proud; he always wanted Adam to settle down and marry someone.

When he met Takashi and received the promotion to become a flight instructor and teacher of aerodynamics, he thought he had reached the point in his life where everything came together. It was like a dream. When Takashi had proposed to him, a midnight picnic on top of a hill underneath the stars, Adam had thought he had made it; he would marry the love of his life.   
  
When the doctors diagnosed Takashi with that illness, that damned illness, Adam had felt his heart drop in fear. Takashi had turned to him, cold hands clutching his and it had felt like the beginning of the end.  
  
When they announced that Takashi would pilot the Kerberos mission, despite his illness, Adam had felt his heart drop again. Takashi would not have enough time for both the kerberos mission and a life after that; Takashi had chosen the kerberos mission. He had chosen his dreams. And yeah, that decision had caused a fight, tears and heartbreak. Adam understood; he had dreams too after all. And if Takashi wouldn't be on earth for 2 years and the doctors predicted him to only have a few years left- well, no one could call Adam selfish when he convinced the board that the Kerberos Mission needed a 2nd pilot.  
  
Takashi had been confused for a split second but a bright smile- _damn_ that smile- had spread across his face and he had kissed Adam. The memory still does things to his poor heart.  
  
And then of course they were abducted by aliens, because that was their luck, wasn't it?   
  
That wasn't even the worst of it. Shiro, that self-sacrificing idiot, had protected Matt and been taken into the arena. Matt, who didn't know how to fight, Matt, who had clutched Adam that night, crying about how sorry he was, Matt, who Adam didn't blame at all.  
  
He didn't even blame Takashi, because that's who he was. A self-sacrificing hero who would do anything to protect the innocent. And Adam was the fool who had fallen in love and followed that idiot to the edge of the solar system.

 

*

 

The shuttle ride was quiet and slow. Adam didn't expect anything else. He passed the time in his head, recounting every single song he still knew by heart, in spanish, in english; even the japanese lullaby Takashi had taught him.  
  
It made Adam's heart cringe and pound heavily, memories associated with songs pouring into his head, but it was all Adam could do to pass the time.  
  
The shuttle arrived at their destination, Jolneer, many hours later- on a planet with 'long distance Galra control'. Adam had heard the history murmured on the plane; the Galra had conquered this planet long ago but it wasn't as useful anymore. And so, there were some Galra controlled areas. But the more tempting part was that there was a huge area where the Galra weren't as active anymore. Which meant that there were more news of Voltron and more opportunities to leave this system.  
  
Voltron. Adam had heard stories; of a God born long ago and awoken recently. Of a monster who ate Galra. Of a weapon that an ancient race had built that was now wreaking havoc amongst the Galra empire. The last one sounded the most reasonable- and Adam tried hard to keep a sense of reason in this god-forsaken universe- and it also sounded the most likely opportunity where he would find Takashi.  
  
Call it a hunch, wishful thinking or Adam being extremely bitter. But a weapon that was freeing planets from the Galra and saving people? If there was one place where Adam thought Takashi 'Self-sacrificing Hero' Shirogane would be, it would be on the forefront of Voltron. Adam had seen the flame in his eyes, the spark that Adam loved and hated; the spirit that Takashi would do whatever it takes to fight against tyranny.  
  
And tyranny conquering the entire universe? Adam knew his fiance well. He also knew that Takashi needed someone to ground him, to hold him and have his heart.   
  
And maybe he was selfish and wanted to see his fiance again.  
  
Adam got off the plane, sliding unnoticed through the busy crowds again. It wasn't easy and it had taken a long time for him to be able to be as stealthy as he was but no one even looked at him as he made his way from market place to market place.  
  
Not to say that Adam was cocky or anything- he was still incredibly paranoid that the Galra would have found him. That they tracked him down. A captain of the rebels.  
  
It was out of necessity and survival that Adam had learnt how to become a shadow.   
  
Which was why he saw the bounty hunter before the bounty hunter saw him. He didn't think he was important enough to have hunted down- honestly, it wasn't like he had any power to fight against the Galra Empire. Sure he was technically a captain but what captain got captured by the galra? It was only by accident that he had even become a captain- it was pure luck that he encountered a member of the blade of Marmorra who helped him escape.

He stayed in the shadows, watching the bounty hunter look for him. It was almost amusing if Adam didn't know the cruel and relentless ways of a Galra with a mission.  
  
He reached for the two daggers he had attached to his belt, unsheating them silently. He didn't know the lay-out of the planet, the city or even the market-place but he also knew he couldn't escape as easily as he had on the last planet if a bounty hunter caught him.   
  
Adam turned and slid between people in the opposite direction, making his way out of the market place. It was best to deal with this type of situation in an empty place- where no one could pay attention to Adam.  
  
Adam peered over his shoulder and sure enough, the bounty hunter had followed him. He turned into an abandoned alley, a dirty and dark place that led further away.  
  
The bounter hunter caught up to Adam as soon as Adam had turned into a second alley, the only light coming from above.  
  
"I finally found you." The bounty hunter said in galraic. He was a unusually short Galra with dark yellow eyes and a large smirk.

 "So it seems." Adam replied in the same tongue and the bounty hunter frowned in surprise. Adam dodged the first attack, leaning to the side. He slipped the cloak off, revealing his two daggers and used the moment of surprise to jump forward, slashing as he went.  
  
The bounty hunter almost managed to evade his attack but Adam managed a shallow slice. The bounty hunter growled in pain and used his pure strength to knock Adam into the ground.

Adam bit his lip to avoid crying out in pain, tasting blood in his mouth. His grip on the daggers tightened and he struggled as the bounty hunter placed each of his feet on his wrists and curled both hands around Adam's throat quickly, pressing the air out of him.  
  
"They want you, dead or alive. I don't care which one I deliver you as." The bounty hunter spat and Adam held his breah, trying to ignore the panic rising in his lungs. He managed, slowly and painfully, to turn his wrists around and digging his daggers into the feet of the bounty hunter just as Adam's vision became blurry with loss of air.   
  
The bounty hunter yowled in pain, releasing Adam's throat and fell to the side as blood poured out of his feet. Adam coughed, heaving in air and stood up as quickly as he could. His wrists ached; bruised. The pain in his throat was much worse, however. He definitely lost his voice for the next two weeks.   
  
Adam struggled to bend down, take the daggers out of the bounty hunters' feet and with a guilty heart, dug both of them into the Galra's chest.   
  
"Vrepit sa." The bounty hunter whispered, face twisted in pain and suddenly went slack.   
  
Adam fell to his knees next to the corpse, tears stinging his eyes. _'It was him or you._ ' He thought to himself, trying to ignore the heavy guilt in his heart.   
  
He struggled to his feet and took his daggers out of his chest, wiping the blood off with the bounty hunter's trousers and sheathed them on his belt. He picked up his cloak and put it on. The silence was deafening. 

He needed to find a way off of this planet and closer to Voltron-heavy activity.

  
*

  
Adam wished for many things. He wished for Takashi to live as long as he could. He wished for his padre and abuelita to live happily and not worry about him. He wished for Takashi's grandparents to do the same. He wished for Keith to realize that Takashi- and Adam, no matter how many times he tries not to- love him aa their own family.   
  
He never dared to wish things for himself. Of course he wanted his dreams to come true; and when they did, it was amazing. But he never wish for anything for himself. He had everything he could ever want. He had a fiance that loved him, a stable and fulfilling job, a family that he saw many times of the year.   
  
Now, his wishes haven't changed much. He still wishes for Takashi to live as long as he can. He still wishes for his padre and abuelita to live happily and not worry about him. He still wished for Takashi's grandparents to do the same. He still wished for Keith to find happiness. Now, he also wished he could find Takashi. 

Fate and destiny were funny things, however. You never realize your wishes came true until much later.

 

*

 

Losing sight in his left eye didn't happen the way he thought it would. He had thought that it would happen with old age. First, his left eye, the weaker one, would become blind. Then, his right one. And then he would fall asleep and welcome the embrace of death with an aged spirit and a crippled body.  
  
He didn't think it would happen like this.   
  
The small jet he had stolen was crash-landing. Crash-landing! Somewhere in the universe, Takashi was laughing at him. He remembered with burning shame how proud he used to be. Words boasted, “I could _never_ crash! I’m too good of a pilot!“ They had a bet on it and, whilst Adam hated losing, he'd give anything to see takashis gleeful grin demanding he pay up just once more.

  
Galra fighter jets were shooting at him, which was why he was crash-landing, and the jet he stole was not the most maneuovrable, or the newest. Even if it was light years ahead of earth technology- and wasn’t that fun to try out- it struggled to dodge most shots. And wasn’t that just Adam’s luck that he stole- _borrowed indefinitely_ \- a slow alien jet.    
  
Adam choked out a laugh of surprise as he dodged another shot, swinging the entire jet out of the way, letting the shot hit another Galra jet. It was hard to navigate through the chaos of space and battle but this wasn't the first time Adam had to deal with something he didn't want to.  
  
Beneath them, and where Adam was sadly headed, was a desert dwarf planet, its name forgotten. Adam only hoped that he would be assumed dead and not followed; of course that was assuming that he would survive.   
  
He broke through the atmosphere with his jet, the plane coming undone slowly through fire and pressure. The cockpit filled with smoke slowly and Adam panicked; he had no idea what to do.

Dodge shots from Galra? Sure.

Escape from a galra prison? No problem.

Crash-landing on a desert planet? No idea.  
  
His lungs filled with smoke and he was coughing miserably, his glasses pressed against his eyes beneath the too big helmet he had on. Really, this was not how his escape plan was supposed to go. Then again, at least he escaped.   
  
The rapid loss of altitude was becoming more and more of a problem. He knew there was a sort of parachute in the cockpit. He just had to look before it was too late.  
  
He broke free of the seatbelt, ducking beneath the cockpit and searching for the parachute. He felt his stomach swirl as he fell onto the planet but it was just in time that he found it and activated it, the seat ejecting him into the air.   
  
Which was not enough of a distance to fall comfortably. It was just enough that he didn't die.  
  
Which was how he lost sight in his left eye.  
  
Turns out, theres a reason for helmets needing to be the right fight. As Adam landed, he stumbled with the sudden impact on his legs and crashed forward. His helmeted head bounced off a sharp rock, splitting the visor and breaking his glasses.   
  
His glasses, that had served him well since the kerberos mission. The one thing the Galra didn't take from him. The one thing he still had that was connected to earth. The one thing that kept him from being ultimately blind was also the one thing that blinded him.  
  
It was the worst pain Adam had ever felt in his entire life. All the heartbreak, the torture, even losing takashi- in that moment, they were nothing compared to the glass in his eye.  
  
He fell to his knees, screaming and crying, trying desperately to get the helmet off, and with it, the glass that was now in his left eye.   
  
The pain became too much and he fell forward, unconscious from the pain. 

 

*

 

When Matt and Adam were rescued from Galra prison, Adam had absolutely no intention on becoming a Rebel Captain. All he wanted to do was find Shiro and go home. But Adam never got what he wanted, not really.

This wasn’t bad either, it just interfered with his plans on wedding his fiance.

“I will _not_ allow some stubborn Galra on killing my entire command. Now, _move_!“ Adam shouted through his comm, dodging the shots from behind and diving below the main ship. It was supposed to be an easy rescue mission. But nother was ever easy, was it?

“Captain, they’re right behind you! On your left! I got your back!“ Daman’s voice rang through and Adam hit the top of his cockpit in joy, “Shoot them, Daman!“ He increased his speed, twisting through the Galra fighters.

“Is the asset secure?“ Adam flew out into the open, his garrison falling in formation behind him. “Yes, Captain. Ready for departure.“

“Let’s go then.“

It wasn’t much of a job. But the rebels did save him; and Matt was off on a far mission so it’s  not like he had someone to break off and find Takashi with.

‘ _I hope you’re safe. I hope you’re not doing anything dumb like I am_ ‘ Adam prayed every night. Because really, this was the sort of thing Shiro would do. Adam wasn’t used to being a hero- a term he was still uncomfortable with. He didn’t think he was a hero. He played along, laughing and nodding when the others praised him but it felt wrong. He wasn’t a hero. Takashi was the hero.

 

*

 

At night, soft and sweet memories turned to nightmares. Adam would wake up every night at three am, panting and sweating, reaching for Takashi. Reaching for his love. You would have thought that after so many months, Adam would know better. He doesn’t.

Adam often thinks of his family- His padre and abuelita. Somehow, Keith had managed to wiggle his way into his thoughts as well. He missed the kid and wasn’t _that_ just the worst thing about all of this? Keith, so full of anger and distrust, who never even _liked_ Adam (he guesses? It’s hard to tell with 14 year old Keith), and yet, Adam missed him. Adam missed everything about his life on earth.

Sometimes he feels like cursing Shiro but he never has the heart to do so. It was never his fault. Never Takashi. It was Adam’s fault for being so stubborn and dumb, for _joining_ the mission. He should have never.

On the other hand, he couldn’t imagine being on earth and having to hear about Takashi’s death. Like his padre had. Like his abuelita had. Like Keith had. Like Takashi’s grandparents had.

Some nights are worse. Some nights Adam can’t even fall asleep from all of the guilt and worry he carries in his heart. Sometimes it feels like someone took a knife and stabbed him, digging the blade further into his heart and left him bleeding. It was an extreme metaphor but nothing came close to describing the pain he felt, staring out into stars the way he had back on earth. Instead of amazement and adoration, Adam felt pain, guilt and panic.

He _missed_ Takashi with every breath.

It hurt to breathe.

Sometimes Adam wonders what it would be like to steal a jet and leave the rebellion- leave this planet to find Takashi. Where would he find him? And this was where he felt better suddenly- he would find Takashi in absolutely ridiculous situations.

Maybe he would find Takashi in a space orphanage, adopting kid after kid because _Adam, he needs someone. And that someone is me. Besides. He’s cool. He stole my car._

Maybe he would find Takashi in a fight, defending someone smaller than him with angry words on his lips and fists ready to punch. Adam would have to step in, defuse the entire situation and ensure no one -no matter how much they deserved it- got punched, and more importantly that no one got arrested.

“-Voltron defeated him. Can you believe it? I thought Voltron was a rumour! But the Ajax Squadron joined them, I heard it myself!“ Adam heard one day and stopped walking, frowning.

“Voltron?“ He had asked Danan.

“It’s like a team of _dudes_ fighting against Galra! We have a fighting chance, now. Like this ancient princess Allura leads them?“ Danan explained, shaking her head in disbelief.

“An ancient princess, huh?“ Adam chuckled. Takashi would have loved that.

 

*

 

“Is it him?“ a voice pierced through his head. Adam felt the tug of consciousness, his ears picking up so many sounds. There was a dull ache in his eyes, a lesser ache in his throat.

“We need to call them, _now_. We need to tell them we found Captain Adam Velazquez!“ Panic seeped deep into Adam’s consciousness and he tried to move, finding his wrists and feet tied down. He gasped, a broken, wet sound, and he struggled more and more. His vision was still black and fear took a hold of him.

“Restrain him further! He should not have woken up yet! He needs more time to heal!“ the second voice demanded and Adam cried out in panic and fear. But as slowly as he had woken up, he lost the thread of consciousness again, falling deeper and deeper until he felt nothing. Until he was not aware.

*

The second time he woke up, he woke up with a start. His eyes flew wide open but something was wrong, something was _intrinsically_ wrong. He couldn’t see from his left eye and his hands flew to his face, feeling for a bandage or _something_ that was covering his eye- but there was nothing.

From his right eyes he could make out a make-shift hospital room. But even looking around, searching for clues as to where he was, caused a weird ache in his right eyes and he closed his eyes again. Eye.

He knew this much. He escaped from Aula. He made it to Jolneer. He killed a bounty hunter. He stole a jet. There had been a Galra cruiser. He crash-landed on a planet. He injured his eyes. He fell unconscious.

And he was not in Galra captivity.

No matter how much the small voice in his mind spoke of fear, panic and captivity; his surroundings were the complete opposite of Galra. The bed was soft, there was light everywhere. The walls looked like they were carved into rock; maybe there was a population on this dwarf planet after all.

He sat up slowly, opening his eye slowly. His wrists were covered in bandages, and his fingers were slow to react. He slowly stood up, his body tired, aching and slow. He hated it.

The door- a broken, wooden thing- swung open and Adam stumbled backward in shock. “Captain Adam Valezquez!“ a voice rang through the room but Adam couldn’t see much further than his own hand. A blurry, blue-coloured alien walked towards him and came close, smiling brightly.

“We are so glad to have picked you up! Sorry about your eye. That was nasty.“ The alien spoke, two eyes on each side of the head with sharp teeth in their mouth. Adam didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.

“Th-thank you?“ Adam croaked out, a broken sound that resembled no words.

“Ah, yes. Your throat. Uh, we used most of our resources on your eye-wound. I bet you have a lot of questions.“ The alien reached forward, taking Adam’s hands in their own..

Adam nodded simply. It was clear he wasn’t in danger- if they were hostile, he would have been dead already.

“Come along then. My name is Triz. We’re in an abandoned rebel base. Traz, Trez, Thrhuz and me set up in here, trying to help them. We don’t do much but we did shoot down some Galra fighters! It was exhilirating! And then when we found you- by all the-!“ The alien cursed suddenly in galraic, and Adam couldn’t quite make out anymore what the alien was talking about.

Adam simply nodded along slowly, eyes squinting as he tried to make out the surroundings. It was clear this rebel base had been etched into the mountains of the wasteland- overseeing the desert. Adam guessed the last part- he couldn’t see for shit.

“The guys and I were so excited to find you! Finally, it feels like we’re really helping the rebels! Rescuing a captain! And a wanted fugitive Captain at that!“ The alien squealed, excited and gripped Adam’s hand tightly. “We already sent out a signal for the rebels; a coded thing, don’t worry. I don’t know much about it, Thrhuz does most of it. But they’re coming for you! They should be here in a varga!“

Adam _meant_ to ask how they knew it was him but what came out instead was, “haw-dyou-knaw-twas-me?“ but the alien could make enough sense of it because the alien turned around- with a wide smile- and stopped walking.

“Captain Adam Velazquez, you are our hero! We didn’t _initially_ know it was you but we figured anyone being hunted by the Galra needs our help! And there you were!“ The alien explained and dragged Adam through the maze of the tunnels.

Adam couldn’t help but scoff- the whole Captain of a rebel force was a complete accident. It sound bad but he didn’t mean to start anything. But he owed the rebels for rescuing him and Matt- it was only an accident that he became a captain and a wanted fugitive- and Adam didn’t know what to make of the alien.

“Guys! Captain Velazquez woke up!“ The alien yelled and three other blue-coloured blurs rushed towards him. Adam struggled hard not to flinch back. And they meant well- they did- but honestly, Adam couldn’t see them. Adam couldn’t see much for that matter.

There were overlapping voices- galraic and common- words of astonishment and adoration and honestly, that was too much for Adam.

“Thank you!“ Adam said forcefully, the words coming together slowly, smiling blindly at them. “Thank you so much.“ He spoke more fiercely, pronouncing every syllable. His throat ached and he suppressed a cough, “For everything. When did you say the rebels would be here?“

The blue-coloured blur on the very left spoke, “in approximately one varga and two doboshes. It was amazing! I actually spoke to the resistance! They teamed up with the Voltron coalition! Voltron is coming here. Here. To us. Can you _believ_ e-“

Adam’s heart stood still-“Voltron? Here?“ Takashi?

“Yes! Where have you been, Captain! The rebels and Voltron joined forces!“ The blue-coloured blur on the very right spoke with such excitement that it was hard to make out the words.

Indeed, where had Adam been? Or rather, how much time has gone by since he had been seperated from the rebels?

“What-what date is today?“ Adam spoke again, the words more clearer this time but still a garble of galraic.

“We picked you up five quintants ago! And today is the 7th quintant of the 5th phoeb of 1778 deca-phoebs. But that’s _this_ planet. I’m sure wherever you were, it was different.“ The original alien- what was their name?- said, huffing.

Adam stood on shaky knees, mind reeling. He had been out for five days. He was on Jolneer for a week. He had been on Zonzul for 2 days. He had been in the Prison of Aula for roughly a month. Before that, on the planet Rognim for 4 months. Before that with the rebels. How long had he been with the rebels? A year? A year.

It’s been so long since he had seen Takashi’s face. He spoke with a teary, broken voice again, words garbled as ever, “Voltron-Takashi? Shiro?“

The original alien led him to some sort of furniture, pushing him to sit down. “Oh my god. Shiro.“ The aliens spoke with renewed vigour, turning on something- there was a click- and noise joined them talking.

“I love Lance!“

“No, but that’s clearly not Keith! Who is she? She’s absolutely gorgeous!“

Adam was too confused to really listen. When he heard Shiro’s voice, confidently and loud, “Pidge, put up the shield!“ which was enough for Adam to feel like he was sinking and there was nothing to pull him back. He didn’t understand- what was happening?

“What- I can’t see-“ Adam breathed, trying to take deep breaths. _Takashi_.

“Oh my god, Captain, you didn’t know? Shiro is the leader of Voltron, the black paladin! They’ve been doing these arena shows to thrum up publicity? How long were you-where you were?“ One of the blue coloured blurs spoke again- they all sounded too similar to Adam right now to differentiate. Adam could only focus on the weight of himself, the feeling of the furniture and the dry, hot air.

“I escaped the prison of Aula two weeks ago. I’ve been on the run since. I got seperated from my squadron. And then I heard-Takashi as Voltron.“ Adam whispered, and he shook his head, eyes closed. “I knew it. I knew it!“ He suddenly stood up, joy bubbling up inside him. He released a croaky laugh, his eyes still closed. “I knew Takashi would be involved with Voltron! Oh my god. Oh my god. _Oh my god._ Takashi’s coming here- Takashi—“

 a noise as high as a whistle suddenly infiltrated the air and one of the aliens shouted, “They found us!“ and a huge explosion shook the entire structure. Another alien grabbed Adam, picking him up and the four ran out of the room. Adam could only see blurs of beige and sandy grey as they rushed. “The Galra must have picked up our signal! I thought they couldn’t de-cypt it! FUCK!“ one of the aliens cried out and Adam let out a laugh of surprise.

“Captain, help us!“ The alien whispered. Adam groaned as they stopped in a room, locking the door. “We’re in the highest room in the building. This is where we shoot out our cannons. Do we fight? Hide? Run?“ One of the aliens turned to him, letting him down.

“That depends. How much ammunition do we have for whatever’s out there? Is a fleet? A few jets? What are we fighting?“ Adam reached out with his arms, feeling his way around the room.

“It’s one giant ship. Oh god. We have-okay, we have enough that we can hold them off until Voltron and the rebels arrive! That should be in 45 doboshes! Captain!“

Adam sighed. He couldn’t see anything, the odds were _not_ in their favour and Adam got the sense that they’ve never been in a full battle. Still, he turned to them and balled his hands into fists. No escape now.

“Listen here, _hombres!_ “ He yelled, shaking his fist, “We are rebels! And rebel, we must! If we fight one galra ship, so be it! We will show those Galra just what they have to deal with! No escape now! Only forward! And forward we go! Guns blazing, arms raised with curses on our tongues! We fight! We fight. I assume you all have your positions.“ He wasn’t the best at speeches or even pep talks. But dammit, he was _this_ close to seeing Takashi and he’ll be damned if he lets anyone keep him from his fiance any further.

It seemed to have work though because with terrible accents all four aliens yelled, “Hombres!“ And were it not for the seriousness of the situation and impending doom, Adam would have laughed. Somewhere in the universe, Takashi is laughing.

 

*

 

Adam almost forgot how serious the entire situation was. Almost.

“ _Move it!_ “ an ugly galraic sound hissed and the whip slapped again, causing the man in front of Adam to falter.

Adam turned to the Galra guard, raising his head to match his height. “We’re doing the best we can!“ he said in the basic galra that he had picked up. The guard, an ugly man named Gnar whose face reminded Adam of a war hog, snarled and cracked the whip against Adam, the sharp leather leaving a line of blood across his chest. He fell back, jaw clenched and the man behind him caught him.

“I will hear nothing of the sort! Move it! You better mine double the minerals you did yesterday or one of you gets decapitated!“ Gnar growled and raised the whip again. The crowd behind Adam dispersed quickly and Gnar pressed a single finger to his bare, bleeding chest. “That means you too, _Captain_.“

Adam bared his teeth but said no more, turning around and picking up a pick-axe -how incredible that this is the exact same as earth- and returned to the ore. Adam almost forgot how serious the entire situation was- if it weren’t for the stinging wound across his chest.

Another rescue mission that had gone wrong. Maybe his squadron would come rescue him and get captured too. Adam shook his head at the thought. It was too horrible to imagine his only chance of escape getting captured as well.

The days were slow. His feet were chained to each other, his back felt like breaking. The heat was unbearable and really, this planet should not be the way that it is. In the depths of the mining efforts, the heat should not be as pressing as it was. The air felt thin and the more they dug, the thinner the air got. Adam figured it had something to do with the Galra, who never told them what they were mining anyway.

But Adam suspected quite a few things. The dark purple ore running through the rocks, for one, had something to do with the energy that the Galra were trying to yield.

Gnar was the worst thing about all of this, however. It was clear that the man had a personal vendetta against Adam. And that may had something to do with his first day and something with Adam spitting in Gnar’s face. Somewhere in the universe, Takashi is smiling proudly.

Every day, Gnar would point Adam to the thickest vein of ore, watching as he mined for hours, whipping his back at any insolence he gave. Every night, Gnar would point Adam to lie on the barest mattress, watching him fall asleep.

It would be soul-destroying if it didn’t mean that the others could go for days without whipping- and most of the other prisoners were significantly older. They must have been here for decades. It also meant that they didn’t speak to Adam. They gave him a bit more food here and there, maybe a bit of their water, but nobody spoke with him for fear out of association.

And so the days were long.

It must have been about a month of mining, collecting scars on his chest and back, of distracting Gnar when he saw the familiar ships in the sky. He pushed his glasses back on his nose with his knuckle, raised his pick-axe and shouted to the others, “The rebellion is here!“

With that, chaos ensued, driving by the fact that Galra fighter jets were being shot down mercilessly.

Gnar came out of his tent with his whip raised high, ready to shout everyone into submission but Adam ran towards him with his pick-axe. It was a rough and crude weapon of choice but when you don’t have many options, you can choose to embrace it or not.

And Adam chose to bury his pick-axe in Gnar’s chest.

 

*

 

“To your stations! Get ready! The Galra don’t give up, they win or they die. Let’s make sure that they lose!“ Adam felt the fire in hsi veins, this familiar spirit that he could only attribute to Takashi’s heroic idiocy.

If anyone had told him a year ago that he would be on a desert dwarf planet, defending a rebel base against a space-conquering purple cat race with four blue-coloured aliens to await his fiance and fellow rebels, he would have laughed in your face and said, “Not in your wildest dreams.“

Why couldn’t his wildest dreams involve baked goods and cooking competitions instead of pain, suffering and death?

“Shield activated!“ A voice cried. This one sounded more like Thrhuz.

“Cannon aimed!“ Another voice cried, sounding like Traz.

“Cannon ready!“ a third voice, Trez, called.

“Fire.“ Adam, still blind, pointed into the air for dramatic effect. Even if he couldn’t see, didn’t mean he could enjoy the finger-pointing of it all.

“Cannon fired!“ the fourth voice, Triz, shouted and the following groans did not bode well. “Cannon fired and hit the shield. Their shield is very much activated. Captain?“

“Again! Fire!“ Adam balled his fists, wracking his brain for ideas. Galra were stubborn assholes and they loved a fight. He was in no way, shape or form ready for a fight. None of them were. They repeated this action five times, each minute ticking by slower than the next one.

“Captain, we’ve almost exhausted our ammunition, the shield is still fully activated. What do we do?“ Triz asked with a shaky voice.

“Oh my god, I know what to do. Dios mio. How much time do we have left?“ Adam stood next to Triz and Thrhuz by the window, leaning against the hot glass.

“20 doboshes. That is, if nothing happened. Oh god. Captain. They’re sending down fighter troops.“ Thrhuz anounced. Adam paced around the room, “We need to get weapons. I had two daggers on my person. Where are they?“

“The medic room. We have a few minitiaturized ion cannons that we stole from the Galra jets when you crash-landed.“ Triz said with a skeptical voice.

“I’m sorry, you have what now?“ Adam stood still, his brain slowly processing what he had just heard. His voice still croaky but pushing through; not talking was exhausting.

“Miniaturized ion cannons- but we don’t know how to use them!“ Trez rushed towards Adam, gripping his shoulder.

“Those things can blast through a particle barrier! Come on. Are you insane? Why didn’t you mention this before?“ Adam shook his head as Trez led him out of the room and through the maze of tunnels back to the medic room, the other three rushing off elsewhere.

Two daggers were pressed into his hands. “Captain, not that I doubt your abilities or anything, but you said you cannot see- your left eyes is completely blind and your right eye-“ Triz said gently and Adam nodded slowly.

“I know, triz. I know. But I’ll be damned if I don’t have at least a fighting chance. I don’t need my eyes to fight!“ He said with a fierce voice and groaned, shaking his head. “I sound just like Shiro. God help me. Okay. Let’s go, we don’t have time.“

Triz didn’t say anything, leading Adam back through the tunnels. The structure shook again as, presumably, smaller jets shot at the mountain. Or so Adam would think. “To your stations!“ Thrhuz shouted again and Adam gripped his daggers tightly. They stood at the top of the mountain, the shield protecting them from the Galra.

“Lower the shield in 3-2-1-NOW!“ Adam counted, the other blue-coloured aliens stood in a circle and as soon as Triz lowered the shield, a small remote in their hand, shots were fired. Explosions followed, and Adam could barely make out fiery dots falling from the sky.

Triz reanimated the shield quickly and Adam laughed triumphantly. “Captain, three galra jets were destroyed. There are 17 left.“ Triz said with a shaky voice, holding onto Adam.

“And destroy the rest, we shall. Estoy en lo cierto, hombres?“ Adam couldn’t stop the giddyness that he felt- if they could keep this up- he could see Takashi. His heart warmed at the thought and fire filled his stomach.

“Again! Lower shield in 3-2-1-now!“ Adam counted again, Triz lowering the shield and the other three shooting at the Galra around them. “Captain! They’re lowering themselves! They’re going to jump us!“ Triz whispered, teary, panicky almost.

Adam let go of Triz, gripping his daggers tightly. “Shields up, Triz. How many?“

“Three more. 14 left.“ Triz whispered. “The next time I lower the shield, three are going to jump out on us. They’re circling us, Captain.“ They warned and Adam rolled his shoulders back, “When you lower the shield, Thrhuz, Trez and Traz shoot for the circling ships. If any make it past the shield, I will slice them. Just push me in the right way.“

“Captain?“

“Lower the shields, Triz. In 3-2-1-NOW!“ Adam shouted again, the blur of colours disorienting but he could vaguely make out shapes and colours.

Shots went around and as quickly as Triz had lowered them, there was a shout to his left and Adam slashed his daggers forwards, catching someone in the neck and the other dagger in their stomach. “Triz, shield up! How many?“ Adam let the glara fall to the floor, clutching his blood-soaked daggers tightly. His fingers ached. It was through pure strength of will that he moved so quickly, his paranoid instincts controlling him.

“Two were shot down. One missed and jumped. You ki-killed him. 11 left. Voltron and the rebels should be here by now!“ Adam recognised the panic in their voice and Adam shook his head. “They will be. Until then, we will hold the fight. We’re doing so well! Only 20 ships and we got 9 of them! Hombres, I’m so proud of us! Again! 3-2-1-now!“

This time, none of them missed. Still, two made it onto the hill. “Captain, to your left!“ Triz shouted, standing behind the other three aliens, who were all aiming clumsily towards the other galra pilot.

Adam jumped to the side, dodging a shot. He twirled his daggers, adrenaline rushing through his veins. He jumped forward, slashing the air as he went, aiming for the head and throat. The galra kicked Adam in the stomach, flexible enough to do so. Adam fell to the edge of the mountain across where the galra pilot stood.

“Captain Adam Velazquez. How exciting. Tell them Krev sent you to the dying lands.“ A voice sounded above him. With sudden strength born of anger and adrenaline, Adam slashed forward again with his dagger and caught the Galra in their shin.

“I am seeing my fiance today!“ Adam growled, pulling himself up and tackling the galra pilot. A shot rang near them and Adam heard it before he felt it. It was Krev who had taken the brunt of it, but the ion cannon had gone straight through them, burning up the body mass as if it was nothing and hit Adam’s hip as well.

“Captain! NO!“

“Captain-Voltron is here!“

“Thrhuz-what did you _do_?!“

 

 

 


	2. A Turn Of Events

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So of course Adam was shaken out of his happy little bubble that he had indulged in building; he wasn’t selfish, really, but he wanted to have this for himself, when he walked into the lounge room, milkshake in his hand and stumbled upon a scene he really shouldn’t have.   
> “If you like the Blade of Marmorra so much, why don’t you just go and join them permanently.“ Lance had his arms crossed over his chest, an surpringly angry look on his face. Keith stood opposite of him, back turned to where Adam stood, still too shocked too move.   
> *  
> AKA Adam accidentally overhears something he really shouldn't and takes it upon himself to rectify the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woooops its been a little later than i wanted to publish it but i moved with my housemates and unis starting soon so. That's all happening. Here's the 2nd and final chapter!

Adam awoke with a gasp. His vision, limited and blurry, became clearer slowly as he took in his surroundings more and more. He reached out to touch the glass cover in front of him, the door falling open.

For a moment, he could not grasp where he was; his memories failing him as if he had hit his head and blacked out. He stood on shaky legs as he climbed out of-he turned around to look at what he had climbed out of.

A pod.

His vision was slightly blurry and he blinked again. He could only peer into a black void with his left eye. Memories slowly faded back into his mind. Crash-landed. He turned around, surprised to find that the vision he had left was sharp- he could make out more than he was supposed to.

But before he was able to fully remember what had happened- where he was or what room this was- there was the sound of a door sliding open and he turned around in surprise.

And there he stood.

Takashi Shirogane.

Their eyes met and it was like no time had gone by- and yet, Adam could see the drag of time in Takashi’s eyes; he looked older, wise, more mature. There was a pain there that Adam understood too well- and it was only then that Adam took in Takashi’s _everything._

The most obvious thing was the scar across his face. The small tuft of hair on his forehead was white and his arm looked robotic- an arm that didn’t match the rest of Takashi. His Takashi.

He didn’t know what to say.

“Adam.“ Takashi breathed and god, his knees still went weak at this. The way that the love of his life spoke his name. Tears filled his eyes before he could help himself and it was like he was on auto-pilot, running towards his fiance with a cry on his lips.

Takashi caught him- always had- and held him close, arms wrapping around Adam.

“Takashi-“

“Adam-“

He looked up, clutching Shiro’s vest- that damned vest- and laughed weakly, tears sliding down his cheeks. “I’ve found you.“ He whispered. And with that, his memories returned and his knees buckled again- a sickly feeling in his stomach.

“Oh my god-what happened?“ he asked hesitantly. His throat, which should be aching, felt fine. His wrists, which should be bandaged and damaged, should be sore. And his eye-sight, which should be blurry and shaky at best, was perfectly fine. Well, his right eye.

Takashi cupped Adam’s cheek, a small smile on his lips and held the man close to his chest. “You were on Juma. At the rebel base with the Caerulisians. The Galra found you. You were shot, here.“ Takashi placed a hand on his right hip, a touch that had Adam’s heart beat that much faster.

“But we came just in time, destroying their ship. We put you in a healing pod. You were out for a few days. Adam.“ Takashi explained, his voice soft and _weak_. They had been apart for too long.

“Kashi“ Adam murmured, taking everything in. It was too much for now- too much to take in. So Adam focused on the one thing that held him tight, the one thing that tethered him to consciousness.

His Takashi.

“I’ve missed you. What have you been through?“ Adam whispered, reaching up to touch his lover’s face, his thumb rubbing the soft skin of his chin. “What have _you_ been through?“ He pulled his face close, leaning his forehead against his.

“Too much, Adam. Too much. But I have you back now.“ Takashi smiled, that goddamn _brilliant_ smile that shook Adam’s world to its core, and Adam broke.

“I love you-“ He burst out laughing and leant forward, connecting their lips and closing his eyes.

Takashi kissed him back softly, a moment filled with only them. Their love, their history. It was just them. Adam felt like crying. He felt like laughing. He felt like punching the universe and exclaiming, ‘I have Takashi back!‘ in triumph.

Every thought melted away from him, his vision, the rebels, his squadron, Voltron.

Nothing mattered in that moment.

In that single moment, Adam felt his heart surge with love and affection and he had never been happier.

He thought he knew what happiness felt like; he had felt the warm spread of love go through him when Takashi had proposed to him. He had felt his heart tighten with happiness when he had seen his padre and abuelita again after months of seperation. He had felt the proud happiness when Keith had asked him for advice and called him by his name instead of his surname.

But this?

This was something so much more intense and so much better.

It was Takashi who pulled back after a few moments, too short, and smiled again. “I can’t believe I have you back in my arms. It feels like I will wake up again and you’ll be gone.“

And because Adam was giddy with this intense happiness and love, he couldn’t stop himself.

“Have you been dreaming of me, Kashi?“ Adam’s easy smile turned into a smirk, his fingers playing alongside Takashi’s jaw.

Takashi grinned, chuckling and kissed his cheeks. “My Adam, you always know what to ask me, don’t you?“

“It all depends on what kind of drea-“ Adam was in the middle of teasing his fiance, head leant back and body pressed tightly together, when the door slid open again and a voice cried out, “ _Adam!_ “

Adam turned around and felt his mouth fall open in shock. He hadn’t expected Keith- though what a surprise that Keith had found the only place where Shiro could possibly be- but what he _really_ hadn’t expected was Keith to look so much _older_ and dressed like an agent of the blade of marmorra _._

Takashi let go of Adam slowly, opting to slide his arm around his back for which Adam felt grateful. He didn’t want to let go of his touch just yet either. But he hesitantly opened his arms for Keith- they had never been that close anyway and the few times Adam had tried to hug Keith had _not_ gone well- but Keith continued to surprise him and hugged him tightly.

He was tall. That was the only thing Adam could think. Taller than he was supposed to be.

“Uh-hello, Keith. It’s so nice to see you?“ Adam said, unsure of everything but hugged the teen- teen?- back. “What are you doing here?“

“What am I doing here? What are _you_ doing here!“ Keith smiled and pulled away slightly, hands now on Adam’s shoulders. It was too much.

“Oh, you know. Dangerous situation where Galra are? Must be where Takashi is.“ Adam chuckled slightly, teasing. He didn’t want to talk about anything just yet. Enjoy the last moments of _this_.

“A Rebel Captain, no less.“ Keith grinned and Adam couldn’t help but smile back. It was nice to see Keith smile- it was nice that Keith was so open to Adam!

Takashi smiled with proud, shining eyes at Adam and god, his heart swelled again and he pulled away from the two men, walking away a bit, shrugging. “Oh, that, that was such an accident.“ He waved his hand, chuckling nervously.

The two men exchanged a look. Adam didn’t see. He turned around again, taking a deep breath. A new feeling had wormed its way into the pit of his stomach and Adam couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. Anxiety? Worry? Fear? Panic? One of them, for sure.

“How do you become a Rebel Captain on accident?“ Keith raised an eyebrow with a frown, and Adam chuckled. There was the familiar, award-winning Frown.

Adam cracked his knuckes, an ugly habit born out of anxiety, and shrugged. “How did you become a member of the blade of marmorra? How did Takashi become a part of Voltron? It’s all just-“ He waved his hands through the air again, walking back to Takashi. “I guess we should talk. What happened to all of you?“

His eyes settled on Takashi’s arm and knew- this was not a story that he wanted to hear.

*

“And so after we defeated Zarkon, we’re working on dismantling the Galra Empire. Now we are building up the Voltron Coalition.“ Takashi finished his story, hands folded over his knees, leaning forward with a hopeful look on his face.

Adam looked around the room, a lounge filled with new and familiar faces- Takashi, Keith, Matt. And there was Matt’s younger sister Katie- Pidge- and faces from the Garrison, Lance and Hunk. Adam vaguely remembers them. Princess Allura and Coran sat next to Keith and Lance, smiling brightly at him. Meeting an actual Princess had been something Adam had never been prepared for- but Coran? The man was an amazing enigma and Adam was excited to talk with him further. Later, however.

This right now?

To say it was an uncomfortable situation was an understatement.

Adam stood up slowly, pacing around the room. To hear what Takashi had gone through- what happened to Keith and Matt- it was sobering. He missed the giddy feeling of waking up and seeing his fiance.

Adam looked back at Takashi, a pained look on his face and let out a breath. “I told you going on the Kerberos mission was a dumb idea.“ He shook his head, a sad laugh leaving his throat. Takashi just smiled softly, walking over to take him back in his arms. Adam let him. Adam was weak.

Adam was right in his suspicions that Takashi would have been on the forefront of the Voltron coalition; he just didn’t know how much Takashi had lost when he had sacrificed himself for Matt.

“What about you? Matt told us you both were rescued and you became a Captain, with your own squadron! What happened to you?“ Pidge stood up, curiosity burning in her eyes.

Adam pressed his lips together, shaking his head. “What’s a man to do? What happens to anyone, really. So, I am the Captain of the Grahtoz Squadron. We had a rescue mission for a captured rebel. It should have been routine, really.“ Adam shrugged, leaning his hands against Takashi’s shoulders, pressing against him. The metal underneath his fingertips kept Adam grounded with guilt. He should have tried harder; he shouldn’t have gone on the Kerberos Mission, he shouldn’t have let Takashi go on it either.

“But there had been bad intel. And so I got captured.“ Adam pulled away from Takashi again, looking back over the room. “I was on Aula for about a month. It was a prison labour camp, we were mining for minerals, or so they said. Then, my squadron came to liberate the planet and succeeded. Except that I got seperated from them and ended up on Zonzul. From there, I made it to Jolneer. And from there, I stole a jet, crash-landed on the planet where you guys found me. Lost my eye-sight on the way.“ Adam motioned to his left eye- he was sure it wasn’t a pretty sight.

Takashi reached out for him and he took his hand.

“I need to contact my squadron. Let them know I’m safe.“ Adam said and squeezed Takashi’s hand, who pulled him close, kissing him suddenly. Adam was taken by surprise but kissed him back softly, letting his eyes flutter close. Takashi had never been one to indulge in a lot of PDA, only soft pecks on cheeks and holding hands.

Takashi pulled away, his eyes only on Adam, and whispered, “We’ll send them a message. Stay here with me for a while.“ And god, Adam hadn’t meant it like _that_ , there was no way in hell that Adam would leave him now, but he was a weak, weak man and Takashi had his heart in his hands.

Of course Adam would stay with him.

Lance teased, “Get a room, you lovebirds!“ Keith knocked his elbow into Lance’s shoulder, saying something with his eyes but Adam wasn’t sure. Lance ducked away from Keith, looking away with slightly red cheeks. He had a hunch however. And his hunches were usually right.

And with a small smirk he looked Lance straight in the eyes and said in spanish, “I’m sure you want to get your very own room with frowny over there.“

Lance, who had given off a cool and suave impression, turned beet-red at his teasing and stood up, flustered. Stuttering, he replied in spanish, “Keith? I have no such desire. I like Allura. Girls. Alien girls. That’s who I’m into!“ he crossed his arms, shaking his head, as if to convince himself rather than Adam.

Keith stood up as well, frowning angrily, as usual. “What are you talking about? Why did you say my name?“

It seemed that Adam had struck a nerve in Lance and looked at Takashi, who understood the smallest of spanish, then pulled away from his love. “I didn’t say anything about Keith did i?“

Keith looked from Lance to Adam, realizing he wasn’t going to get anything out of the two and turned to Takashi who held up his hands, shrugging with a wide smile.

Pidge watched the two curiously, narrowing her eyes. Matt took the chance to lean back and talk with Allura and Coran. Hunk stood up and sat down next to Pidge, whispering something which made the young girl smile brightly.

Lance looked away from Adam, his features melting into something more uncomfortable and tense. And since Adam wasn’t a complete monster, he walked over to the paladin and slapped his hand on his shoulder. “I’m only joking.“

And what had been a teasing moment turned unintentionally into a sweet moment. Lance looked up at Adam with soft eyes and sighed, relaxing. “I’m not going to interfere. Takashi, though? You’d better keep an eye on him.“ He winked, to which Lance laughed in disbelief.

“Shiro? He doesn’t seem like the drama type.“

“No? He’s got you thinking he’s all responsible and sh-stuff. No. This man? Please. Lives and breathes for the drama.“ Adam shook his head dramatically, rolling his eyes, causing Lance to laugh.

Takashi walked over and slid his arms around Adam’s waist, kissing his cheek. “Can I borrow my fiance? I want to spend some time alone with him.“ He said in badly accented spanish.

Lance closed his eyes, shaking his head and cringed. He looked at Takashi with narrowed eyes but the quirk of his lips ruined the strict look on his face. “I will if you never speak to me in spanish ever again.“ He said in english.

Adam chuckled, sliding his hands over Takashi’s who simply grinned and nodded. He took Adam’s hands in his and led him out of the lounge. Adam looked over his shoulder to find Keith looking after him with an uncertain look in his eyes.

Takashi led him through the Castle of lions, leading him to his room. “Wow. I’ve been awake for an hour and you’re already showing me to your room? That’s a bit presumptious of you, mi amor.“ Adam grinned as they stopped in front of Takashi’s room.

Takashi looked at him with soft eyes, smiling softly. “Is it, ada-kun?“ He opened the door and pulled his fiance inside. The second the door closed, Adam had been swept up into a tight hug and a loving kiss, Takashi’s hands firm on his hips.

Adam couldn’t help but let out a soft giggle, the soft giddyness returned. He opened his mouth against Takashi’s tongue, sliding his own hands beneath his vest. It was as if they only existed in their own world, the sensation of touch and smell belonged to them.

“Have I told you that I’ve missed you?“ Adam pulled away, breathing heavily.

“Tell me again.“ Takashi kissed his lover’s jaw; short, peppering kisses alongside his jaw to his neck. Adam missed this too.

“I’ve missed you.“ He whispered, leaning his head to the side and offering Takashi more of his neck. “I thought about you every day and every night. I couldn’t stop thinking about you and what it would feel like to have you back in my arms.“ He confessed, his eyes filling with tears. It was almost impossible to tell whether they were from happiness, sadness or something else; emotions bubbled up inside Adam like a water that found its way off a cliff.

Takashi pulled away, wiping away a tear that slipped down Adam’s cheek. “I thought about you every night, too. Sometimes, you were the only thing that kept me going.“ He murmured. Adam smiled, blinking away the tears quickly and chuckled; a croaky, wet sound.

The other man pulled him towards the bed and the two laid down, holding each other close. “I’m not crying because I missed you.“ Adam lied, annoyed and embarassed at the barage of emotions he felt. But Takashi knew him too well.

“Oh? What for then?“ He rolled over, sliding in between Adam’s legs and nuzzling into his neck. It almost felt like home.

“I’m crying for the disaster that you call your hair.“ Adam chuckled, rubbing his hands alongside Takashi’s tense back.

“Of course. Did you think that going to space would make my hair so much better?“ Takashi grinned up at Adam with shining eyes. God. Adam took it upon himself and rolled the two over, leaning down in Takashi’s personal space. He slid one leg between the other man’s thighs, sliding his hands alongside his chest.

“Well, I certainly never thought that going to space would make your hair so much worse. And yet, here we are.“ Adam placed gentle kisses alongside Takashi’s neck, letting his lips graze his ear. The soft, content sigh from Takashi rejuvenated his poor, weak heart.

“You can lie all you want, ada-kun. But I know what you really think of my hair. You love it. Just like you love me.“ Takashi said with such a confident and happy voice that Adam couldn’t bring himself to tease the man any further.

“God, help me, I do. I really do.“ Adam leant forward, hands cupping his neck, and kissed him deeply.

*

Being with Takashi was something that Adam had never forgotten. The way he laughed, the way he spoke, the way he loved, it was intoxicating. Adam had spent night after night, dreaming about the man but nothing could ever compare to real life.

It wasn’t like everything that had happened was erased and he was healed and happy forever. Oh no. He still woke up in the middle of the night- the first night he was with Takashi again- with a cry and shaking hands from nightmares that were too real.

Takashi, still awake from his own worries, took him in his own arms. “Adam-you okay?“ He whispered softly, kissing his cheek. The touch helped him focus on Takashi-on being in the moment.

“Yes. I’m fine. I’m fine.“ He smiled tiredly and kissed his love. “Can we sleep without the blanket? I’m too hot.“ He whispered, his whole body too warm from the panic deep in his bones.

Takashi kicked the blanket to the end of the bed and sat up. “You wanna talk about it?“ He offered, his hand caressing Adam’s cheek. Adam looked up at this beautiful, beautiful man and smiled weakly. “Yeah, I think I do. I keep dreaming about aula.“

“When you were on that slave planet?“ Takashi asked with a gentle voice.

“Yeah. I don’t really know how to describe it. It was hot. Always hot. Why are there so many deserts in space?“ He sat up too, leaning against Takashi.

“A lotta suns.“ The other man shrugged.

“Who’d have ‘em?“ Adam sighed, playing with the hem of his shirt. He felt embarassed about the many scars splattered across his back and his chest- remnants of his time as a slave.

“What was it like?“ Takashi’s quiet voice broke through the tension of the air like a knife.

“Long. The days were long. The work was long. Everything was slow. And dust was everywhere. There was the man in charge- Gnar. He wasn’t known to be kind or even patient.“ He said slowly, his fingers tightening in the fabric of his own shirt. “And he didn’t like me at all.“

“Why didn’t he like you?“ Takashi frowned, sliding his arm around Adam’s shoulders.

“Because I spat in his face when I first arrived.“ He admitted, looking down at his hands. There was a tense moment before a broken laugh bubbled out of Takashi. “Adam- why-my god- and you say I look for trouble?!“ He leant his head on Adam’s shoulder, eyes closed and Adam felt something suspiciously close to tears on his shirt. And he felt like an asshole for making Takashi cry.

Adam pulled Takashi into his arms, sliding his legs around his waist as Takashi clung to Adam’s chest. “In my defense, he did call me ugly.“ He whispered, brushing through Takashi’s hair. The other man shook his head, eyes still closed, his face vulnerable. “Is there something you want to say, kashi?“

The man in question sighed shakily and buried his face in Adam’s chest, mumbling something out.

“I-I can’t understand you, kashi, you have to tell me.“

“I should never have dragged out onto Kerberos with me. I should have never let you come with me. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be out here and your eye- you-“ Takashi broke off into sobs and god, Adam’s poor heart couldn’t take much more.

He curled his hands around Takashi’s face and forced him to look up into his eyes. He didn’t realize that the same guilty thoughts plagued his lover as they had him. It would only make sense that the self-sacrificing idiot would think such a thing. Then again, he had had the same thoughts mere hours ago.

“You listen, Takashi Shirogane, and you listen good. I love you. I love you so much that I followed you to the edge of the solar system. I love you so much that I spent weeks looking for a sign of you in the universe. If you think I’m going to let anyone or anything come in between us- in between my way of finding you- you don’t know me as well as you profess.“ He said with fierce yet loving words, eyes squinting at him. He leant forward before Takashi could reply, a broken and soft sob escaping his lips and Adam swallowed the sound, meshing their lips together in a passionate kiss.

Takashi gripped his shoulders, kissing him back as if he was a dying man and Adam was the last drop of water in the desert.

And when Takashi slid his hands beneath Adam’s shirt, well, he was always weak when it came to Takashi Shirogane.

He let the other man take the shirt off, waiting with baited breath for his reaction. Disgust, Shock or even Tears.

Instead, Takashi leant forward and kissed each scar, tracing thin lines with his tongue. “Adam, god, you are so beautiful.“ He whispered as he worshipped the other man’s body.

And Adam, relishing each touch of his fingers and every swipe of his tongue, could only moan in reply.

*

United again, there was a new light in Adam’s life. Which was quite ironic as he could only see with one eye.

He couldn’t stop smiling. Life in the Castle of Lions was hectic and frightful; at any moment they could be attacked and Adam felt fear, he did, but he felt a much more brighter happiness in his heart.

Being able to see and touch Takashi every day and every night, hold him against his chest and to be held in his arms again, it was all like a dream. But so much better.

So of course Adam was shaken out of his happy little bubble that he had indulged in building; he wasn’t selfish, really, but he wanted to have this for himself, when he walked into the lounge room, milkshake in his hand and stumbled upon a scene he _really_  shouldn’t have.

“If you like the Blade of Marmorra so much, why don’t you just go and join them permanently.“ Lance had his arms crossed over his chest, an surpringly angry look on his face. Keith stood opposite of him, back turned to where Adam stood, still too shocked too move. It was clear that Adam had stepped into a tense, _private_ discussion and he was about to move, really, when Lance said:

“Just how important am I to you?“ Lance’s face changed, an angry, righteous expression to quite possibly the saddest expression Adam had seen in a while. His face twitched in embarassment and his cheek coloured in red, “I mean _us_ , as in _Voltron_! Not me! How important is the  team to you, Keith?“

Adam could tell from Keith’s stance just how tense the younger boy was, his hands balled into fists and he moved his head, looking to the side. “God, Lance, of course I care about the team! But the Blade of Marmorra is doing something important, _I_ am doing something important. Doing light shows just isn’t that important! You wouldn’t understand, you only think about how many girls you can get, anyway.“ Keith hissed.

Oh god, this was such a train wreck to watch and they _still haven’t noticed him_.

“First of all, _keith_ , that’s not true. I care about the mission, I care about saving people. You’re not the only one who’s doing something important, okay?“

“No- I didn’t mean to imply-“

“No, we all know what you _meant_ to imply, Keith. Whatever. Leave with your little boyband of aliens. It’s fine.“ Lance said with such finality that Keith huffed and abruptly turned around, walking out of the lounge quickly. Lance looked up and finally, finally saw Adam standing there.

“uh- I was just- um-“ Adam motioned somewhere behind him, eyes wide but stopped when he saw the tears build up in Lance’s eyes. “Oh no, mi nino, don’t cry“ he walked closer, setting down the milkshake on the small coffee table and offered a hug to the cuban boy.

Lance, hesitant and fighting back the tears, looked unsure around. Adam’s heart clenched for the young boy. He’s only known  him for a few days but god, he saw a lot of himself in Lance. And so he spoke in soft spanish, “I won’t make fun of how you feel. You can trust me. It’s okay. I’ve been exactly where you are. It sucks. Let me help you.“

And Lance accepted the hug, still fighting back tears, quiet sobs shaking his body. Adam wrapped his arms around him, rubbing his back softly and whispering quiet reassurements in spanish.

After a while, Lance pulled away, clearly still upset but no longer crying. “Do you want to talk about it?“ Adam offered.

Lance laughed, shaking his head. “I’m fine. I just hate fighting.“

“Keith is wrong, you know. You’re very important to the team. As Voltron.“ Adam spoke carefully, not wanting to overstep into something that was clearly personal. Teasing was one thing, but he also knew not to dig too deep into something someone didn’t want to talk about.

Lance did the same thing again, laughing and shaking his head. “No, you know, Keith is right. I do care about girls a lot. But hey, I can’t deprive the public of what they clearly want, you know?“

The blue paladin said it with such a smile and vigour that Adam almost believed him, if he hadn’t just seen him cry because of Keith. He was about to call him out on this- this _mask_ , but something inside him told him not to. Probably his abuelita.

“Ah yes. Of course. The universe would be at a deep loss without you, Lance.“ He said, his tone light to keep up Lance’s mask but his words rang true. Now that Adam had spent almost a week with team Voltron, it wasn’t hard to see just how integral each member was- especially Lance.

Lance hesitated for a few seconds then walked a few steps towards the door then turned around again. He spoke in spanish this time, quiet, as if no one was supposed to hear him. “Can you not tell anyone about this?“ A nervous smile graced his lips. It didn’t look right.

Adam nodded with a reassuring smile. “Of course not.“

“Gracias, Adam.“

“De nada.“

*

This encounter weighed heavy on Adam’s mind. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Lance was hiding more. He had a horrible deja vu on his own- the words ringing in his head. When he saw Keith leave his room later, a bag on his back and sword tied to his belt he stopped him.

“Where are you going?“ He frowned. He knew exactly where Keith was going.

“There’s a mission that I was offered to go on. I don’t know how long it will be.“ Was all Keith said. So it was going to be like this.

Adam sighed, “I’m really going to miss you, you know.“ He stepped a bit closer, opening his arms for a hug, asking silently.

Keith’s lip quirked, a ghost of a smile on his face, and he accepted the hug. “Takashi’s really going to miss you too.“

“I’m going to miss you two as well.“ Keith whispered, so quiet, Adam could barely make it out. While his eye-sight may have suffered, his hearing has certainly improved from the days when people spoke above a whisper.

“I have a feeling we won’t be the only missing you. Are you sure about this?“ Adam asked as he pulled away to look at the young man. “How long is this mission?“

Keith sighed, looking down. “A couple of months, at least. But this could really deliver the final blow to the Galra empire. I have to do this.“ He said, more firm and fierce. There was tension in the way that he held himself, the same sort of anger that Keith had all those years ago. And Adam really should say something.

“You know, I almost let Takashi go on the Kerberos Mission alone.“ Adam said suddenly. Keith looked up, frowning. “Really?“

Adam nodded, continuing, “Oh yeah. We had a huge fight about his dreams and priorities. The doctors had diagnosed him with that _awful_ disease and the board had cleared him for the mission. I was livid. I was angry. I was hurt, most of all, I guess.“ He didn’t really want to lay his heart bare in front of Keith but he needed to get this out. “And I said some things I shouldn’t have. But later, we talked again and I understood why he wanted to go. He wanted to do anything that was possible to make life on earth better for humanity. He wanted to follow his dreams and fly out to the stars. And I understood. So, I joined him. I moved heaven and hell to fly alongside him to the edge of the solar system.

“But the most important part of it all was we communicated. I thought he chose his dreams over me. He thought I didn’t understand what was at stake. It was painful. But I wouldn’t have done anything differently.“ Adam spoke with shining eyes, a small smile on his lips at the memory.

Keith frowned, leaning against the wall. “Why are you telling me this? I’m still going.“

Adam chuckled, shaking himself out of the feeling nostalgia. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t go. You definitely should. But you shouldn’t leave without clearing the air with everyone. You never know what can change while you’re gone.“ He clapped his hand on Keith’s shoulder. “Are you leaving right now?“

“No, i still have half a varga.“ Keith shrugged.

Adam raised an eyebrow, “so like thirty minutes?“

Keith grinned, “No. I mean half a varga.“

“I will never understand that stupid time measurement. I refuse to.“ Adam shook his head but smiled anyway.

*

Adam walked back to Takashi’s room- his and Takashi’s room, with a frown on his face. It pained him to see such _bullheadedness_ in these teens. He remembered the pain of fighting with someone you loved. He remembered the loneliness he felt; abandoned. He remembered Takashi’s words when they had made up.

_“I felt so alone. I know that following my dreams was right- but having to choose between you and my dream nearly tore my heart in two. You cannot imagine the joy I feel now that I know you’re coming with me on my dream. My Adam.“_

He looked up to see Takashi leave his room. When the other man saw him, a beautiful smile grew on his face and he rushed towards him. “I missed you.“ Takashi whispered when he reached him, holding him close.

And Adam would have teased him, he was only gone for twenty minutes, but Adam was a weak, weak man and when Takashi spoke to him in that quiet voice, he couldn’t help himself.

“I missed you too.“

He whispered, cupping Takashi’s cheeks and kissed his hero.

With a heavy heart, he pulled away and sighed. “There’s someone else you’re gonna miss. Keith is leaving.“

Takashi pulled away, frowning. “Leaving? On another mission?“

Adam nodded, “A couple of months, probably more. We should go say goodbye. He said he’d be in the lounge.“ He took Takashi’s left hand in his, squeezing, and walked the way back he just came.

In the lounge, Keith was standing in the middle, surrounded by Pidge, Hunk, Allura and Coran who sat on the couch and looked up at him with sad eyes. Lance was standing behind the couch, arms crossed over his chest and looking away while Keith looked at him like a neglected cat. God, the obliviousness.

“So I’ll be gone for at least a few months. I know what this means for the mission but the Blades have planned a massive operation that I’m not allowed to share with you. But it will bring us to the Step of Victory against the Galra Empire.“ Keith spoke with such conviction that it was tough to doubt him.

But all it took was one look at Lance to see that this mission would have a similar effect on the loved ones that the mission Takashi had gone one.

Takashi walked over to Keith, putting a hand on his shoulder and no doubt, informing him that they all support him and would be there for him.

Adam instead walked over to Lance, crossed his arms and leant next to him. “Why are you frowning?“ He asked quietly in spanish. He needed to do something to get the two idiots to talk.

“I just think that- Keith’s abandoning the team. Again.“ Lance replied, in spanish, with a quiet whisper. If he had spoken any louder, his voice would have broken.

“And abandon you?“ Adam paused between each word, hesitant to confront Lance and his feelings but he couldn’t let the two fall apart before they’ve even had the chance to clear the air. And if it had something to do with the fact that they reminded him of his own fiance and himself; well then something needed to be said about bad intentions and good consequences.

Lance pulled a face, almost as if he wanted to scoff at the idea. But his face dropped ever so slightly and Adam could tell; Lance was tired. Tired of wearing the mask. Tired of pretending.

“It’s okay to admit that, you know. Don’t let your pride come in between yourself and others.“ Adam whispered, heart heavy from his own experiences, and reached out to put his hand on Lance’s shoulder.

If he hadn’t been looking at the young teen, he would have missed the quick flicker of emotions.

Lance looked at Adam with stubborn eyes and a tight-lipped smile. “Thank you, Adam. I know exactly what to do.“

“Oh?“ Adam looked at him with unsure eyes. Oh god. Maybe he overstepped his boundaries? Did he see something that wasn’t actually there?

Then, Lance smiled and it was such a sweet, _genuine_ smile that Adam was taken aback. He looked so much younger, an air of excitement around him and he felt relieved. “Dale.“ He grinned.  

The younger teen turned on his heel, walked around the couch to where Keith and Takashi were still talking. Lance pulled Keith around, hands confidently placed on Keith’s shoulders.

“Lance-“ Keith frowned but Lance pulled him close and kissed him.

A hoot went around the room, with Pidge grinning triumphantly at Hunk, extending her hand with a cocky grin. “Pay up.“

Coran stood up, smiling brightly. “Finally!“ Allura stood up, hands clutched to her chest with adoring eyes.

Lance pulled away with a shy smile. Keith, cheeks red as his lion, blinked a few times then grinned wolfishly. “That’s how it is?“ He pulled Lance back, hugging him close and kissing him again.

Takashi stepped back, looking over to Adam and raising a single eyebrow. Adam shrugged, grinning.

“I’m still going.“ Keith pulled away from Lance, the red on his cheeks having spread to the rest of his face.

Lance grinned, hands in Keith’s long hair. “I know. I’ll be here for when you return.“

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dale- go on.

**Author's Note:**

> padre-father  
> abuelita- grandma  
> estoy en lo cierto, hombres?- Am i right, men?


End file.
